Sonata by the Sea
by Azuki Bean
Summary: "Life is like a piano; the white keys represent happiness and the black show sadness. But as you go through life's journey, remember that the black keys also create music." ― Ehssan


**So I decided to write my own sousuke fanfic firstly because the idea just came to me and secondly because there wasn't one out there that could calm my fangirly soul.**

**Disclaimer: **Free Iwatobi Swim Club and its characters do not belong to me

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><p>"Life is like a piano; the white keys represent happiness and the black show sadness. But as you go through life's journey, remember that the black keys also create music."<p>

― Ehssan

Graceful, slim fingers danced along the black and white keys of a piano. The hands ran about, making the music clear and bright as it rang throughout the hall. It was then joined by deep, rich notes of a cello. I watched as the bow was pulled back and forth as a hand slid along the neck, fingers deftly touching the strings. The sweet symphony reverberated firstly from my chest, then slowly spread to my fingers and toes. I waited for the correct moment to join them. When it was my turn, I raised my violin and rested it on my left shoulder. I inhaled, then exhaled, before shaking my wrist as I slowly dragged the bow across. The vibrato made the music all the much more pleasant.

My father was on my left, donning a tux as his cello stood between his knees. My mother was behind me on my right. She had a face for the stage. Each eyelid had a line drawn over it, bringing more focus to her violet eyes. Her brown hair was pulled away from her face and into a braid that twisted into a bun. And her blue gown sparkled with every movement she made, like the sea.

I stood center stage, the highlight of the performance. I was only ten at the time. Wearing a frilly, pearl white dress with my hair done up by ribbons. I wasn't here to convince the audience that I was the adorable product of these two musicians, and they weren't here to see that either. They were here to listen to, and judge my skill. And I was here to captivate them with my musical talent.

When I finally set my instrument down, the concert hall grew quiet. This was the moment I loved the most - the silence between the music and the applause. I loved it so because this was the very brief period in time in which the instrumentalists and the audience could both share together. A moment that _I_ could share with my parents as they performed up on stage during the countless number of times I sat in the audience.

But this moment I was experiencing right now was different. This was the first time I was standing on stage with my parents. The first time I had received a standing ovation. The happiness I felt when I saw the audience rise from their seats as they began to clap enthusiastically, and the silence that followed the sound, you couldn't compare the two.

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>After the performance, I was ushered backstage into the changing room. My parents showering me with praise. They told me how great I was on stage and how this was just the beginning.<p>

My mother's face lit up as she heard a knock at the door. She urged my father and I to get up and greet the expected guests.

A woman, a man, and a boy stood in front of the doorway. Before my mother had been recruited by a musical arts academy in Tokyo, she and that woman had been best friends since they were children. A month ago, my mother had sent some tickets to her hometown, wanting to invite the family to my first performance.

My mother introduced them one by one. I had quickly forgotten both of the adults' names because I was a child. And as a child, I had a short attention span, so I resolved to addressing both of them as Mister and Missus Yamazaki-san. But my mother made sure I got familiar with their son, Sousuke-kun. The adults thought it would be a _fabulous_ idea if we became friends.

Before long, we were all gathered in a restaurant. The adults were speaking amiably amongst one another. The boy from earlier was sitting in front of me, his lips tugged down into a frown.

I examined him. His jet black hair was combed and gelled, making it appear spiky. Thick brows were scrunched together over eyes like sea foam... and they were staring back at me.

"Wh... what?" I asked getting defensive.

"Nothing," he said, his expression turning into a look of confusion.

"But you look like you're mad."

"No I don't," he said as the edges of his lips tugged lower.

"Oh... okay."

Silence pursued. I grabbed my napkin and began ripping bits and pieces off of it. Sousuke-kun subconsciously began tugging at the hem of his vest.

"Um... You were on stage earlier."

I raised my head. He was focused on his empty plate.

"Uhh yeah. What about it?"

"That was cool."

"Thanks."

"Aren't they just the cutest," my mother cooed.

All conversation between the boy and I stopped.

Missus Yamazaki-san beamed, "Yes, you're daughter is very lovely."

Kaa-san smiled and laughed lightly. "I was thinking more along the lines of them being cute _together_."

I caught on to what she was implying. My face flushed and I puffed out my cheeks.

"No way!" Sousuke-kun and I shouted in unison. Our eyes locked before turning away again stubbornly.

The adults laughed before continuing their chatter. For the rest of the night I chose to ignore the boy and just listen to the adults ramble on about stocks and current events.

After dinner, we were all piled into a car to drop the Yamazaki's off at their hotel.

Sousuke-kun sat next to me, his arm stiff as it rubbed against my own.

"Eto... What's your name," he mumbled, "I forgot."

I scoffed. "It's Akamatsu Sora."

He nodded awkwardly. A scent of chlorine wafted towards me. I wrinkled my nose. "You smell like the pool," I deadpanned.

He was taken aback. "You smelled me?"

"No! You just reek of the pool!"

"No I don't!" He pulled back his sleeve and sniffed his forearm. Reluctantly, he admitted, "Yeah, I guess."

I giggled before another topic of conversation popped into my head. "Where do you live?"

He hesitated before replying. "Iwatobi. Why?"

"What's it like there? I've never been outside of Tokyo before."

"Huh? But don't your parents travel a lot for concerts?"

I crossed my arms. "Yeah, but they never take me. They say I can go on concerts with them only when I'm _older_."

He smirked. "Sucks to be you."

I ironically stuck my tongue out like a child.

He then sank into the seat and began to ponder. "Iwatobi... there's a lot of beaches and harbors, so me and my dad go fishing a lot. Crab too. Crab is cool. Umm..." He was thinking of more things to say. "Oh! During summer there's the festival at the shrine! Last year, me and Rin went and we almost caught all the goldfish at this one stall! It was-"

"Who's Rin?"

"He's my best friend." Sousuke-kun said proudly. He then continued on about the magnificence of Iwatobi. "It snows during the winter..."

Whilst learning about all his excursions, I grew more and more fascinated and enraptured with this unassuming town.

I called out to Kaa-san who was sitting in the passenger's seat. "Kaa-san! I wanna visit Iwatobi!"

"Hmm... I don't know." She smiled playfully and turned to my dad who was focusing on the road. "What do you think Kousei-kun?"

"Please, Akamatsu-san," Sousuke-kun pleaded, which surprised me.

"Why don't you guys come for Christmas," Missus Yamazaki-san interjected, "I'm sure your brother and parents miss you, Hanako."

My mother and father exchanged glances before Kaa-san turned to see my innocent, hopeful gaze. I wanted to go. I _really_ wanted this.

"I suppose we could," my mother drawled.

"Sure. Why not," he replied without giving it much thought.

I beamed. "Yata! Did you guys hear? We're coming for Christmas!"

Sousuke-kun beamed as well. "That's awesome! I can introduce you to Rin! And then we can go to the pool!"

"The pool? Won't that be cold?"

"Don't worry. It's an indoors, heated pool." He shot me a thumbs up.

My tinkering, childlike laugh filled up the car.

.

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We never went.

Before Christmas came around, I was whisked off to join my parents in a concert up north. Then I was to partake in a solo competition. A year later was yet another competition. Then another, and another.

Seasons changed and years passed. Eventually I had forgotten about Sousuke-kun and the thrill of imagining myself having fun on the beaches of Iwatobi. Never becoming familiar with thr salty scent of my mother's hometown, I grew up with the smell of fumes and exhaust. It was just a bit depressing. All these competitions, all this work, all this _talent_ and _glamorous_ lifestyle never really made up for the emptiness I felt inside. People at school idolized me, but didn't really want to approach me, so I never had friends to hang out with. Not that it mattered anyways, because I always had an event planned that I absolutely _had_ to attend. I couldn't even skip out on violin practice even once because it would mess up with my whole routine.

But I wasn't complaining. Because my parents had dreamed of me becoming a professional violinist for so long, that it became my dream. I practically lived, breathed, and sleeped violin. I had grown numb to the strict discipline.

Then it happened. As I was biking down a hill one day, headed toward home, I heard the screeching of tires. As I turned my head toward the noise, a car suddenly rammed into me. I flew up in the air. The oxygen escaping my lungs. The disgusting sound of bones being crushed bellowed into my ears. The blood that sprayed everywhere was so messy that I didn't even know if my body parts were still attached or not. I blacked out before my mind could even register what had happened.

The first sign that I was still alive was sound of steady, computerized beeping. With a peculiar feeling of numbness that ran through my veins, I took it that I was on some kind of medication. I slowly pried my eyes open, greeted by a white ceiling. The smell of antiseptic stung my nose. A drab curtain surrounded my bed, silhouettes of other people were being cast onto it.

"We have to leave for Europe next week," I heard Kaa-san whisper. "Is there any way she can still perform by then?"

"No," a stranger's rumbling voice replied. "That's next to impossible. She currently has a clavicle fracture along with her entire forearm. What your daughter needs is proper time to heal."

My mother repeated, "Time to heal..."

"How is this going to impact her career?" I heard my father ask. "She's a _violinist_. She's been practicing her entire life. And this... this is..."

"Please don't worry too much Amakatsu-san. It is required that you're daughter visit a physical therapist once her injuries are healed. They'll be able to retune her wrist and finger coordination. I know it's not likely, but is there any possible way that one of you could stay behind and watch over her? She's temporarily handicapped. She'll need assistance for things at home."

A pause. "It's impossible," my dad finally said. "If Sora can't go to the concert then we're already losing out. If another one of us can't make it then we might as well cancel the whole tour! We'll lose serious revenue and have to refund all the customers and invalidate our books at all the major halls. Companies, agents, fans, sponsors, everyone's going to throw a major fit."

"I see... well is there a relative around who can watch over her?"

"My parents are elderly. They can't-"

"What about my brother? Back in Iwatobi."

"Ah! Iwatobi has an excellent physical therapy branch. Many hospitals send their patients there. We could transfer Sora-san there for treatment."

"Has Sora even met your brother before," I heard my father ask.

"I don't think so. But he's living alone right now. I'm sure we can work something out."

"What the heck are you guys talking about," I rasped. I was surprised to find that my throat was incredibly dry.

I heard a chair creak. Tou-san pulled away the curtain. "You're awake Sora," he exclaimed.

"Yeah, for a while now," my throat scratched.

"Here's some water."

My mother approached the bed from the opposite side. Together, they helped me sit up before Kaa-san placed the glass to my lips. I reached for the cup with my left hand, finding that it was wrapped and bandaged tightly into a cast. My entire left arm felt stiff, and _itchy._

_How much had occurred while I was passed out?_

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><p><strong><em>Reviews are love.<em>**


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